A look back at the Astrology of 2011

December 31, 2011 By

Sankofa birdI like the principle of the Sankofa Bird, which says that in order to understand the future we must understand the past.  When I see a new client I always go back over the past five years or so to see where they’ve been before I can help them to see what the future might hold, and the same holds true for global predictions.  The Romans held the same principle in their god Janus, who looks both forwards and backwards and rules the month of January – the first month of the year.

To understand what happened in 2011 we have to go back to early 2008 when Pluto entered Capricorn and began the contraction that is now spreading around the world and creating one economic crisis after another as country after country implements austerity (Capricorn) measures that continue the contraction rather than counteract it.  In 2009 and 2010 Chiron and Neptune aligned to force us to look beyond the material world (Neptune) and heal the wounds of the past (Chiron).  These years also marked the peak of the Cardinal Drama as I called it (also known as the Cardinal Crisis in many astrological circles) during which up to seven planets and luminaries combined in a variety of challenging positions to execute intense change in our personal lives and in the world at large.

I didn’t write an article last year on the Astrology of 2011, but if you want to go back you can listen to the podcast I did to forecast the events of 2011.  This was a year markedly less impacted by major planetary cycles other than the square between Uranus (radical change and revolution) to Pluto (destruction and regeneration) that will be the most important planetary news over the next three or four years.  This aspect began building in March when Uranus entered Aries and came within breathing distance of Pluto’s energy field.

The chart for the Spring Equinox in March showed the Equinox Sun exactly conjunct Uranus and with five planets in Aries, signifying an intensely combative three month period, and that is exactly what occurred.  Aries is ruled by Mars and is devoted to the expression of the aggressive instinct, and when that aggression combines with the powerful revolutionary force of Uranus you get the various protest movements and the “Arab Spring” that spread like wildfire across the Middle East last year.

You can read more about the details of these cycles here in these pages, just go into the archives of previous posts.

The square from Uranus to Pluto peaked in July when the two planets came within a degree of an exact alignment, and the planetary weather between August and the end of the year was much more subtle.  But it would be a mistake to be lulled back into an unconscious state, because the Uranus/Pluto square will reach its full force in 2012.

Uranus and Pluto conjoined in the 1960s and inspired the cultural revolution and change that transformed the world during that time period.  There is a reason that everyone is saying these days are just like the Sixties – and that reason is Uranus and Pluto.  This is a potent combination for creating endings and new beginnings, both globally and in our personal lives.

I’ll write more about what is coming up in 2012 over the next few days.  Stay tuned!

 

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Chart for the Summer Solstice, June 21 2011

June 21, 2011 By

summer solstice 2011The Sun enters the sign of Cancer at 1:16 pm EDT, an event that we call the Summer Solstice.  The Summer Solstice is the longest day of the year and the day at which the Sun reaches the highest point in the sky, but it is also a phase in the turning of the wheel of the seasons that is marked by the entry of the Sun into one of the cardinal signs (Cancer, Capricorn, Libra and Aries).  The cardinal signs are signs of initiation and action and when the Sun moves into one of these signs something is typically activated that has been dormant before.

Because of the astrological “Cardinal Drama” of the past few years, with Pluto entering the sign of Capricorn (it is now at about 6 degrees Cap) and Uranus moving into Aries (now at 4 degrees), and Saturn still in Libra at 10 degrees, every Solstice and Equinox, with the Sun at 0 degrees, has engaged the other planets in the early degrees of cardinal signs.  Since the charts for the solstices and equinoxes are tools for weather prediction and symbolize the overall energy of the following three months, it’s no wonder the past three years or so have been so dramatic.

The chart for the Summer Solstice 2011 is no less intense than the others and that is especially true for those of us in the US.  In the Solstice chart for Washington D.C.  we have the T-square of planets in cardinal signs (Sun, Uranus and Pluto) sitting right on the angles (within two degrees) when the chart is located to Washington D.C.   This suggests that the overall strife in the country, particularly the governmental factions which are located in D.C., will continue throughout the summer.

The square of the Sun to Uranus (electricity and shocking events) is wider than in the Spring Equinox chart which coincided with a record number of tornadoes across the country which suggests that the weather patterns will not be so extreme.  But the elemental balance of this chart is extremely polarized, with most of the planets in water and air.

Water represents the element of feeling and emotion, and air is the element of reason and objectivity.   These two are not naturally compatible and usually require one of the other elements to intermediate and fortunately we have that in the presence of a harmonious earth trine from Jupiter in stable Taurus to Pluto in Capricorn.  The earthy influence helps to provide a solid foundation from which the emotional sensitivity of water may interact with the sensibility of air to bring about a positive change that is both sensitive and rational.

The movement of the Sun through the seasons is an important part of connecting with the natural world.  The Sun is the most important element in the solar system to human life, just as it is the single most important element in the birthchart.  It nourishes and inspires us – it activates our life force.  If we can become more attuned to these natural cycles and live our lives in greater harmony with the turning of the wheel of life, we gain in both peace and inner wisdom.

Happy solstice!

For daily planetary news, visit my Facebook and Twitter pages.

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The Great Zodiac Standoff

September 3, 2010 By

A reader posted this on the Astrodynamics Facebook page – a beautiful pictoral representation of the Cardinal Drama!

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The Cardinal Drama peaks tonight

August 6, 2010 By

The Gilchrist Mandala

As I’ve been writing and discussing on the radio show, this is the week that the second wave of the Cardinal Drama peaks (the Cardinal signs are the signs of action and initiation: Libra, Aries, Cancer and Capricorn).  Saturn is now in Libra along with Mars opposite Jupiter and Uranus in Aries, Pluto is in Capricorn.

For a few hours tonight, after the Moon enters Cancer at around 6 pm EDT, the Moon will enter the fray, opposing Pluto (180 degree aspect) and forming a 90 degree angle (a square) to Mars and Saturn on the one end and Jupiter and Uranus on the other.  This makes a big Cross, also called a Grand Cross.

Grand Crosses pack a mighty wallop since there is a lot of tension between the planets that demands resolution.  But planets in Cardinal signs are all about taking action, they tend not to get stuck.  So this is a time of change, but there there is little to be frightened of.  There is a lot of energy building and moving and urging us to break through blockages, so it is mostly our resistance that causes problems during these periods.

The cardinal alignment has been building since May, and really peaked in June and July.  At this point we have already integrated the energy and are ready to move on to the next cycle.

The lunar influence will last just a few  hours and by Saturday morning (EDT) the Moon will be out of range and the Grand Cross will have gone back to a mere T-square (just three sides of the cross, without the fourth).

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Cardinal drama in the news

July 29, 2010 By

I share this not to frighten you, but to demonstrate the power of the current planetary conflict.

  • Germany’s “Love Parade” festival turns into a nightmare after police (Saturn) tried to stop revelers from entering the area of the parade and were unable to control (Pluto) the crowd (Jupiter/Uranus). read more here.
  • Al Qaeda plants a flag in Baghdad after the murder of 23 Iraqi military fighters, demonstrating that the Uranus in Aries revolution is at hand. read more here.
  • Personal details of 100 million Facebook users have been published in a downloadable file on the internet. The square of Saturn (restriction) to Pluto (control) is being hammered by Mars, Jupiter and Uranus – all of the freedom and liberation planets, knocking the lid of any effort to enforce control of any kind right now. read more here.
  • This same influence is at work with the leak of classified Pentagon documents concerning the war in Afghanistan.

So be careful this weekend!  There’s a lot of energy stirring about and it can be used for positive transformational work if we stay aware and conscious.

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New CIA warnings and the upcoming Cardinal Drama

February 3, 2010 By

The new CIA warnings that Al Qaeda will attempt an attack on the United States in the next 3-6 months is not a surprise to those of us monitoring the stars.  The square of Saturn to Pluto that occurred on January 31st, just two days before the announcement, is an aspect of fear and challenge.  After all, the opposition of Saturn to Pluto, the last major cycle of these two planets, coincided with the attacks of September 11.

The final phase of the Saturn/Pluto square occurs August 21st and that would be a likely time for another attack.  Saturn is in Libra right now, with Pluto in Capricorn.  Both are “Cardinal” signs, meaning they are the signs that mark the turning of the seasons.  Cardinal signs are action-oriented and create a great deal of movement and initiation of new things.  Uranus will enter Aries in late May of this year, and at that point we will enter what Ray Merriman calls the “Cardinal Climax” and other writers have called this event the “Cardinal Crisis,” but I prefer to use the term “Cardinal Drama,” even if it means losing the alliteration of the double “Cs”.  There’s no guarantee that this will be a climax of any kind, or even a crisis.  But there will certainly be drama.

This Cardinal Drama is a major event lasting for the next three or four years, in which Uranus in Aries will face off first against Saturn in Libra, and then enter into a square to Capricorn Pluto which will continue from 2010 to 2013.  (For more on this subject please see the radio show/podcast on the Astrology of 2010.)  Uranus in Aries will bring about violence (Aries) by individuals (Uranus) rather than nation against nation, especially as Uranus gets involved in a challenging square to Pluto’s repression in Capricorn.

Leon Panetta, CIA director, is more afraid of individual extremists acting alone:  ”It’s the lone-wolf strategy that I think we have to pay attention to as the main threat to this country.”  The planets agree with this assessment.  In addition, cybersecurity is a concern with Uranus involved since Uranus rules technology of all kinds, and in Aries, the sign of aggression and warfare, suggests that cyberbattles are a very real threat.

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